Article chute construction



I. MEDQFF ETAL ARTICLE CHUTE CONSTRUCTION Oct. 22, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 26, 1962 INVENTORS mmva was-par: 44425:- aan/s/a/rma' 1963 l. MEDOFF ETAL ARTICLE CHUTE CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 26, 19 62 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 22, 1963 Filed Jan. 26, 1962 1. MEDOFF ETAL ARTICLE CHUTE CONSTRUCTION 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 United States Patent 3,107,767 ARTICLE CHUTE CONSTRUCTION Irving Medoff, Finishing, and Charles Bonsignore Queens Village, N31 assignors to Emsig Manufacturing Co., New York, N .Y., a partnership Filed Ian. 26, 1962, Ser. No. 168,975 8 Ciaims. (Cl. 193-25) This invention relates to a button feeding device for use in combination with a button sewing machine for the attachment of buttons to a garment. This invention is a continuationdn-part of our copending application Serial No. 122,161, filed July 6, 1961.

More particularly, this invention relates to a button feeding device wherein buttons from a bulk supply, in a button hopper having a very large capacity and in a rigid mounting, are oriented in a chute and conducted down a guideway in the chute to a predetermined position adjacent the work clamp of a button sewing machine.

In the stitching cycle of buttons of the sew-through type, the work clamp is oscillated from side to side in a horizontal plane, and in the case of a four-hole sewthrough button, the work may be oscillated horizontally, forwardly and rearwardly as well, with respect to the bed of the sewing machine. Also, the work clamp will, in the usual manner, he raised at the end of the stitching cycle and again lowered against the work piece at the start of a succeeding stitching cycle.

It will be readily recognized that the movements of the work clamp aforesaid will be accompanied by concomitant movements of the lower chute part which is fixed to the work clamp.

In feeder devices heretofore known to us, the upper end of the chute was secured to a button hopper which was free to move with the chute. Such an arrangement, however, presents many disadvantages since the mass of the hopper, in moving with the chute, places undue strains on the chute, its actuating assembly comprising the work clamp and the sewing machine parts which move these elements. Therefore, the size and capacity of the button hopper heretofore employed was extremely limited since larger hoppers having larger capacities would place still greater stress on the parts aforesaid, causing undue wear, inducing inaccuracies and requiring frequent readjustment, as well as causing fatigue to the worker who mechanically moves these parts with a manually controlled treadle.

In modern high speed sewing operations, it is desirable to provide a large capacity hopper which need not be frequently recharged with buttons. This has been accomplished in the aforesaid copending application by fixing the hopper to a standard or the like and by providing a chute which will accommodate itself to the raising and lowering of the work clamp at the start and completion of the sewing cycle.

The present invention is directed to an improved chute of the type described for use in conjunction with a fixed button hopper which is particularly adapted for use in the sewing of flat or dished sew-through buttons, the chute being capable of accommodating the side to side, front to rear and sometimes diagonal horizontal movements of the work clamp, as well as the up and down movement of the clamp at the completion and initiation of the stitching cycle, to assure an uninterrupted flow of buttons in edge to edge position in timed relation to the stitching cycle.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a chute having a guideway for joining a fixed button hopper with a work clamp member which is shifted both horizontally and generally vertically in the course of use.

A further object of the invention is to provide a chute as described, wherein the button raceway or guideway enables the free flow of buttons from the point of introduction of the buttons into the chute to the work clamp member.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a chute of the class described wherein the free flow of buttons isv permitted in all oriented positions of the work ice clamp with respect to the hopper.

Still a further object of this invention is to prove a chute having the characteristics above described and having a guide section with minimum clearances in the plane of the thickness of the buttons whereby there is reduced likelihood of jamming occasioned by the rim of one button rid-ing up over the rim of an adjacent button and wedging within the chute to block free flow of buttons.

Still a further object of the invention is the provision of a novel button feeder chute assembly which is inexpensive to manufacture.

To attain these objects and such further objects as may appear herein or be hereinafter pointed out, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a feeder, chute and hopper assembly in accordance with the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a magnified perspective view of the work clamp and chute portions in accordance with the invention;

FIGURE 3 is an exploded isometric view of the components of the chute portion;

FIGURE 4 is a magnified section taken on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a magnified vertical section taken on the line 55 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURES 6 and 7 are sections similar to FIGURE 5, indicating the position occupied by the chute parts at other stages of the operating cycle;

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary view similar to FIGURE 7, showing a jammed button:

As seen in FIGURE 1, a button sewing machine 10 of conventional design is secured to a work table 11. A hopper 12 is rigidly secured to standard 13 fixed at its lower end to the work table 11.

In the usual manner, the sewing machine is provided with a lift bar 15 which is. lowered by the sewing machine mechanism just prior to a stitching cycle and raised at the completion of the stitching cycle; A work clamp or presser foot 16 is linked to the lift bar 15 so as to be raised and lowered with the lift bar, respectively, to work releasing and clamping positions. Button feed mechanism 17 is fixed to the work clamp member 16, said feed mechanism being effective, upon lifting of the work clamp 16, to actuate the feeder mechanism 17 to orient a button in proper sewing position at the lowermost end 18 of the clamp 16.

The operation of the button feed mechanism forms no part of this invention and will, therefore, not be described in detail, suitable feed mechanisms being described in United States Patents Nos. 2,768,594 and 2,661,709, the illustrated mechanism being substantially in accordance with that shown in the first mentioned patent. It will be understood, howeven that the invention is not limited to use in conjunction with the feeder mechanisms of the above described patents. It is sufiicient, for an understanding of the present invention, to recognize that the raising of the lift bar 15 causes a concomitant lifting of the work clamp 16 and a simultaneous tilting of operating lever 19, having a slotted portion 20. A button feeder actuator pin 21 rides in the slotted portion 20 of lever 19 and is thus articulated through a button feeding cycle by the above described tilting of lever 19.

The hopper 12 is preferably of large capacity so as not to require frequent refilling. The hopper is motorized and operates to discharge into a throat portion 30 buttons of the sew-through type which are oriented with a selccted face uppermost. The mechanism of the hopper will not be described in detail since it forms no part of the present invention, a suitable hopper being illustrated in the 'copending application Serial No. 122,161, filed July 6, 1961. The hopper 12 illustrated in conjunction with the present invention is substantially in accordance with the hopper of the application above described, although it should be understood that any suitable. hopper which is elevated for a gravitational flow in part of the buttons therefrom may be employed.

The discharge throat of the hopper 12 is connected to the work clamp 16 by an articulatable chute assembly 45) having an internal guideway providing a continuous path between the clamp and throat, and assuring a steady supply of edge-to-edge disposed, face oriented buttons.

As previously indicated, the hopper is fixed, and the work clamp 16, in addition to the up and down movement aforesaid will, during the stitching cycle, oscillate in a horizontal plane alternately to align the holes of the button held in the work clamp with the reciprocating needle. In the case of a four-hole button, the work clamp will be shifted forwardly and rearwardly and also side to side (see arrows, FIGURE 1). Also, in certain applications, a diagonal movement may be imparted to the clamp.

The invention herein is thus concerned with a novel chute assembly which is affixed at its upper end to the hopper 12, to receive buttons discharged through the throat 30 of said hopper and is afiixed at its lower end to the work clamp 16. As best seen in FIGURE 3, the chute 49 includes an upper curved section 41 fixed to the hopper 12. The curved section 41 is centrally recessed at 42 to provide an open guideway 43 having side walls 44, 45 for limiting transverse movement of the buttons with respect to the chute. The spacing of the walls 44, 45 is not critical and some transverse button movement is permissible whereby, for instance, buttons of different diameters may be fed through the same apparatus. The depth of the walls 44, 45 is desirably only slightly greater than the thickness of the buttons to be used, it being preferred to keep minimum thickness tolerances to eliminate the possibility of the button edge portions overlapping, to jam the chute.

The lowermost portion of the section 41 is transversely recessed as at 46, the side Walls 44, 45 terminating in spaced relationto the recessed portion 46. The open face of guideway 43 is partially closed by a flexible cover strip 47, the strip being secured to section 41 by headed bolts 48 passing through apertures formed in the strip, the bolts being threaded into registering apertures formed in section 41 (see FIGURE 2).

A pair of generally L-shaped insert portions 50, 51, of thickness equal to the thickness of wall portions 44, 45, are secured to the lower end of section 41, the inner portions 52, 53, respectively, of said inserts forming continuations of the walls 44, 45, respectively.

A resilient T-shaped spring shim 54, of thickness equal to the depth of recess 46, is seated in said recess to form a smooth continuation of the bottom surface of guideway 43. The spring shim 54 and and inserts 50, 51 are secured to the section 41 by headed bolts 55 passing through apertures formed in the parts aforesaid and threaded into the section 41. The cover strip 47 includes a first slot portion 47a, through which bolts 55 are passed, the slot 47a being of a dimension greater than the head diameter of the bolts 55, whereby the bolts exert no clamping influence on the strip 47.

A second chute section is secured adjacent the lower end of the section 41 and is reciprocably mounted to be longitudinally shiftable with respect to the said section. The upper end 61 of the section 60 is recessed as at 62 to a depth which is equal to the thickness of the walls 44, 45, plus the thickness of the spring shim 54. The section 69 is provided with a guideway 43a of the same dimension as guideway 43 of section 41, the guideway 43a forming a continuation of recess portion 62.

The transverse dimension of the recessed portion 62 corresponds substantially to the spacing of the outer walls 52a, 3a of the inserts 5t 51.

The inserts 56, 51 and spring shim 5'4 thus together form an extension of the upper section 41 which nests within recess 62 and is longitudinally shiftable in said recess. The lower section 6% is slidably secured to the upper section 41 by a headed bolt 63, and spacer 64, which pass through a slot 471) in cover plate 47 and are threaded into a complemental aperture 65 in section 60. The spacer 64 and bolt 63 bear against the chute section 6% and not the plate 47, and thus the section 60 may be shifted longitudinally toward and away from the section 41 within the confining limits of the slot 47b.

A leaf spring 67 is secured to the upper section 41, the lower end 68 of the spring bearing against the back of section 6% at a point opposite the spring shim 54. It will be readily recognized that the cooperative effect of the springs 54 and 67 and plate 47 will be normally to maintain lower section 66 in co-planar alignment with the lower portion of the upper section 41 but that a force applied at right angles to the plane of said parts will cant the parts to shift the same out of co-planar alignment.

An extension element 70 is secured behind the lower portion of chute section 69, to project bearing aperture 71 a distance below the lowermost portion 72 of the chute section 6%. A further chute section 75, the end portion of which comprises work clamp portion 16, is secured pivotally to the element 70 by means of headed pivot pin 73 (FIGURES 5, 6, 7) which passes through aperture 71 and is threaded into aperture 76 in lower chute section 75. The lowermost portion of section 60 is provided with a semicircular recess, as at 60a, which receives the semicircular upper end portion 76a of the lower section surrounding aperture 76. A limited relative pivotal movement between sections 60 and 75 is thus enabled. A short cover plate section 77 is secured to chute section 60 and is superimposed over the recess portion 62 to provide a top guide at that portion.

As will be best appreciated by comparing FIGURES 5 to 7, the up and down movement of the work clamp or presser foot 16 is accommodated primarily by a relative longitudinal shifting of the sections 41 and 60. In FIGURE 5, the sections 41 and 60 are shown in the raised position of the presser foot or work clamp 16, FIGURE 6 showing the position of the parts after this clamp has been shifted to work holding position.

In the course of stitching certain sew-through buttons, the work clamp 16 may be oscillated side to side in the direction of the arrows aa (see FIGURE 1). sidewise shifting of course occurs only in the down position of the work clamp, the parts being shown in a limiting shifted position in FIGURE '7. As will be apprec'iated from a comparison of FIGURES 6 and 7, the sidewise shifting or lateral flexing is concentrated substantially at the central portion of the chute adjacent the break between sect-ions 41 and 60* and the recess 62. The concentration of the lateral flexibility in the manner aforesaid is, in part due to the manner in which cover plate 47 is secured to section 41, the lowermost end of From a comparison of FIGURES 5 and 6, it will be ap-.

preciated that the straightening or aligning influence of springs 67 and 54 is considerably greater when the clamp:

This 7 is in the raised position (FIGURE than in the lowered position (FIGURE 6). This is a highly desirable feature since the chute is thereby rendered more easily flexible when lowered (the only position at which flexure is required) and is self-aligning when the work clamp is raised.

This feature is further important in view of the minimum height clearance for buttons normally provided in guide chutes for sew-through buttons. As previously noted, this clearance is kept to a minimum to prevent the rim of one button over-riding the rim of an adjacent button, causing a jam and an interruption in the predetermined spacing of the flow of buttons in edge-to-edge position. The aligning action of the opposed springs 54 and 67 in assuring that the chute sections 41 and 60 will be aligned in the up position, prevents button interruption of the line of flow of buttons at the junction of the chute sections aforesaid.

The chute sections may be flexed laterally in the down" position of the work clamp without jamming the chute, since at such down position a long radius of curvature or bend exists between the angularly offset chute sections. If these sections were angularly offset to the same extent at the up position of the work clamp, the short radius of curvature would reduce the height clearance and cause a jam or slow-down of the line at the flexing area. In preventing angular offsets at the up position of the work clamp but permitting lateral deflection of the chute parts in the down position, a structure is thereby provided in which, despite lateral deflection of the chute, a path with adequate button clearance is always presented.

A further desirable feature of the device in assuring a constant and continuous flow line supply of buttons at the presser foot or work clamp 16 is the action of the spring shim 5'4 lying within recess 62 of section 66. As will be seen from FIGURES 5 to 7, the clearance depth throughout the guideway or raceway 43- of the chute assembly 40 is substantially constant except adjacent the trap or recess portion 62. The clearance is enlarged at this section and, hence, there is some tendency for buttons to tilt when adjacent the trap area. This tendency to tilt is somewhat augmented by the fact that the prime lateral flexing of the chute is adjacent the trap or recess 62. It will be readily recognized that if a button were to tilt, jamming or slow-down could occur only if the leading or lowermost rim of the button were to lie against the lower shoulder 62a of recess 62 (see FIGURE 8). In the illustrated device, such a jam or slow-down in flow would be automatically released when the work clamp and lower chute section were lifted since the shim 54, upon raising, shifts generally downwardly toward shoulder 62a from the solid to the dot and dash position of FIGURE 8, thereby tending to release a button tilted against shoulder 62:: by tilting the button back into alignment with the chute path.

from the foregoing description, it will be recognized that front to rear movement of the work clamp along the direction of arrows bb (FIGURE 1) is permitted by the pivotal connection of chute section 75 to block 70. While a considerable range of pivotal movement is permitted when inserts Si 51 are partially inserted in the recess 62 (the down position of the presser foot 16), this range is restricted when the foot is raised and thus the inserts, upon shifting further into the recess, tend to straighten the chute sections, by the aligning action of side walls 52a, 53a against the side walls of recess 62.

The device above described assures a steady supply of buttons at the presser foot or Work clamp of the feeder, to assure no skipping of a sewing cycle and orienting cycle from the feeder. This is important where high speed production is contemplated and of particular importance where the feeder is used in conjunction with a device for automatically positioning the garment with respect to the sewing machine. Such a device is disclosed in copending application Serial No. 68,516, filed November 10, 1960.

The device described in that application feeds a garment to various indexed positions and automatically actuates the sewing machine when an indexed position is reached. A plurality of buttons are thus attached in a minimum of time. It will be readily appreciated in such instance that in the absence of a continuous button supply :at the presser foot, the time saving features of the automatic garment feeder will have been lost, and garments missing buttons may be produced.

While the illustrated embodiment of the invention has been described in conjunction with buttons of the sewthrough type, it will be appreciated that the various benefits of the invention may be realized in conjunction with a shank button feeder.

Having thus described the invention and illustrated its use, what is claimed as new and is desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a button sewing device having a vertically and horizontally sbiftable work clamp and a fixed button hopper, a flexible button conduit for guiding buttons in edgeto-edge position from said hopper to said clamp comprising upper and lower chute sections having an internal button guideway portion formed therein, means linking said chute sections to permit said sections to be shifted longitudinally one with respect to the other between spread and collapsed limiting positions, the lower end of said upper section lying adjacent the upper end of said lower section at said collapsed limiting position and being spaced therefrom at said spread limiting position, first spring means fixed to one said section and biased into sliding engagement against said other section to apply a lateral force to said other section, second spring means fixed to said one section and biased into sliding engagement against said other section in opposition to said first spring means, said springs together serving normally to align said upper and lower chute sections, said spring means, in the spread position of said sections, bearing against said other section adjacent an end portion thereof and in said collapsed position bearing against said other section at a position spaced from said end portion.

2. A device in accordance with claim 1 wherein said guideway portions are recessed adjacent said lower end of said upper chute and said upper end of said lower chute and one of said spring means comprises a fiat, resilient metal of a shape to occupy said recessed portions to form, in the collapsed condition of said chute section, a smooth continuation of a wall of said guideway portion.

3. A device in accordance with claim 2 and including rigid guide means fixed to one said chute and positioned to fit with close clearance within said recessed portion in said other chute section in the collapsed position of said chute sections.

4. A device in accordance with claim 1 wherein said guideway is an open channel and said device includes a channel cover plate comprising a leaf spring member overlying said open channel portion of both said sections, said leaf spring member being fixed to one said section and having a slot portion in registry with said other section, and a headed member secured to said other section and slidably riding within said slot of said spring.

5. A device in accordance with claim 2 wherein said guideway is an open channel and said device includes a channel cover plate comprising a leaf spring member overlying said open channel portion of both said sections, said leaf spring member being fixed to one said section and having a slot portion in registry with said other section, and a headed member secured to said other section and slidably riding within said slot of said spring.

6. In a button sewing device having a vertically and horizontally shiftable work clamp and a fixed button hopper, a flexible button conduit for guiding buttons in edge-to-edge position from said hopper to said clamp comprising a first chute section secured at an upper porr? tion to said hopper, a second chute section movable relative to said first chute section and in at least two planes of movement and having a lower portion secured to said Work clamp, said first and second ohute sections having internal raceway portions and proximately spaced communicating end portions, an enlarged recess formed at one said end portoin and Communicating with said race- Way, guide means extending from the other said end portion forming a continuation of said raceway and slida'bly received within said enlarged recess of said other end portion and longitudinally shiftable therein between first and second limiting positions, said guide means and the walls defining said recess being dimensioned to permit transverse shifting movement of said first and second chute sections when said guide means is in said first limiting position Within said recess, and to restrict said movement when said guide means is in said second position.

7. A device in accordance with claim 6 and including a pair of oppositely positioned leaf springs, each of said springs having one end-secured to one of said chute sections and having its other end slidably bearing against the other said chute section adjacent the junction of said sections, said springs being positioned to provide high resistance to relative transverse movement of said chute "sections when said sections are in said second limiting position and to permit relatively free transverse movement between said sections when the latter are in said first limiting position.

8. A fiexible button conduit for guiding buttons in edge-to-edge relation from a fixed hopper to a vertically and'horizontally shiftable presser foot comprising first and second chute sections having internal guideway portions, means linking said chute sections for vertical shifting and lateral deflective movement with respect to each other, a recess formed in the guideway portion of one said section, a flat spring portion forming a continuation of the guideway portion of the'other said section, said spring portion lying within said recess and being of a thickness conforming substantially to the depth of said recess.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 392,171 Tromanhauser Oct. 30, 1888 1,260,349 Eaton Mar. 26, 1918 1,810,512 Worst June 16, 1931 2,430,658 Andres Nov. 11, 1947 

1. IN A BUTTON SEWING DEVICE HAVING A VERTICALLY AND HORIZONTALLY SHIFTABLE WORK CLAMP AND A FIXED BUTTON HOPPER, A FLEXIBLE BUTTON CONDUIT FOR GUIDING BUTTONS IN EDGETO-EDGE POSITION FROM SAID HOPPER TO SAID CLAMP COMPRISING UPPER AND LOWER CHUTE SECTIONS HAVING AN INTERNAL BUTTON GUIDEWAY PORTION FORMED THEREIN, MEAN LINKING SAID CHUTE SECTIONS TO PERMIT SAID SECTIONS TO BE SHIFTED LONGITUDINALLY ONE WITH RESPECT TO THE OTHER BETWEEN SPREAD AND COLLAPSED LIMITING POSITIONS, THE LOWER END OF SAID UPPER SECTION LYING ADJACENT THE UPPER END OF SAID LOWER SECTION AT SAID COLLAPSED LIMITING POSITION AND BEING SPACED THEREFROM AT SAID SPREAD LIMITING POSITION, FIRST SPRING MEANS FIXED TO ONE SAID SECTION AND BIASED INTO 